The New York Giants announced on Tuesday morning that they have cut offensive lineman Ereck Flowers after four seasons with the team.
It was reported on Monday afternoon that the Giants would release Flowers on Tuesday if they were unable to find a trade partner by 4 p.m. ET. Apparently, the Giants did not want to wait that long to make the move or it was abundantly clear that no one wanted him.
Flowers was the ninth-overall pick in the 2015 draft, one of the Giants’ early efforts to build a competent offensive line after spending top-two-round picks on Weston Richburg in 2013 and Justin Pugh in 2014.
None of those selections are on the roster anymore.
It became clear almost immediately that Flowers was in over his head as he struggled mightily at the left tackle spot.
He was constantly rated as one of the lowest offensive linemen in the league by Pro Football Focus. His rookie year had a rating of just 32.5 before increasing to 48.4 in 2016.
Out of 275 qualified linemen who took at least 1,800 offensive snaps since 2006, Flowers allowed the most quarterback pressures (180) and had the worst pressure percentage allowed (9.45-percent). He also ranked 273rd in pass-blocking efficiency at 94.8 percent, per PFF.
Still, the Giants wanted to take one more chance with Flowers heading into the 2018 season, moving him to right tackle after acquiring Nate Solder in free agency.
The move didn’t help as he allowed seven pressures in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars while committing penalties on two of the Giants’ first three offensive plays of the season.
Following a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Flowers was benched in favor of Chad Wheeler, who hasn’t provided an enormous upgrade. However, he made an immediate impact in Week 3 against the Houston Texans, providing some key blocks for running back Saquon Barkley in New York’s first and still only win of the season.
